Redtail Rise stoneward

Weary of endlessly working the badger’s skin, Masquerade rolled it up at the base of “her” pine tree and slithered out of hiding to take a walk about the rise. She hoped to inspect the stockpiles, a task which soon had her chewing the inside of her cheek. Why were they so low?

The route between one cache and the next led her near a pale, patchwork figure in the distance. Masquerade paused to study him, head canting a little. Was that Ancelin? Nearly the instant she identified him, Lila’s familiar figure appeared, approaching her prodigal cousin. Masque thought she saw a flash of teeth.

The gray youth slunk backward, screening herself behind some brush. She didn’t necessarily want to be involved, though she was curious about what might happen next. Like a wallflower at the ball, she blended into the background, observant but hopefully unobserved.

Please feel free to skip her if she isn’t noticed!